Looks like US Vet fees may be going up

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2013/03/11/obamacare-may-bite-you-at-the-...

[Ginny Nightingale]

Sounds likely--and there was an article in the NYTimes the other day about how bad it is for young vets right now--foreign vet schools like Ross are flooding the market for vets so they will take less pay and end up in places like Banfield, I guess-- and they have SO much debt from expensive vet school costs that they don't make nearly enough to pay those loans off in less than 30 years--I can attest to the truth in this article since my daughter and her fiance are in that exact position as dairy vets in upstate NY with hundreds of thousands owed between them. So, as the cost of school goes up and the salaries go down, vets will be looking for some ways to make money--and most get commissions from tests done, medicines sold and food prescribed--keep that in mind. 

[Lynda Kamrath]

The whole question about educational expenses is ridiculous.  Why should our students be getting out of college with such extreme debt that they are literally slaves to their college debt?  It is the same thing with all types of doctors - general practice, specialists, vetinary, dental.  And the costs for pharmaceuticals, tests, etc. just keep going up.  What is a young person to do?  My vet's practice was bought up by a large vetinary corporation and now they dictate everything.  She is a young woman, but on her way out of the practice.  Very sad state of affairs all around.  Our doctors, vets, dentists, lawyers, artists, musicians (actually anyone with an expensive education) are up to their ears in debt and costs for their services just keep going up.  And now they are messing around with the educational benefits for soldiers.  I guess the best advice would be to not get an education you cannot pay for, get some other type of menial slave labor job.  What have things come to in our "country of opportunity"?  Commissions?  We have turned our medical personnel into drug pushers.  Insurance?  Now that is a whole other issue.  College debt, drug commissions, insurance??? Yikes!

[Chelsie]

These times are very rough for college grads. Being one recently, I feel troubled every time I think of the current situation. Our national debt is out of control and the future really does not look bright. I wish someone would have told me when I was coming out of high school how expensive and long it would take to pay off college debt. I would give the advice to anyone coming out of high school to really think about what they want to do. If that can be done with a 2 year degree or through a certification program, then skip the 4 year university. If they don't know what they want to do, I would tell them to join the military, attend a community college, or work for awhile before pursuing a degree. I know that sounds harsh, but I wish someone would have told me that instead of encouraging me to get a 4 year degree without knowing what I wanted to do. I was encouraged to take unnessary classes to discover what I wanted to do, if only I had realized how expensive those classes would add up to be I would have skipped them! Just my opinion though!

[Ginny Nightingale]

Very good points--and the vets I know have loans from the first four years and then new loans from the 4 vet school years-- Cornell is in-state for us but still cost close to $50,000 a year--we had a younger child at Dartmouth at that point (with financial aid thank goodness) and my daughter knew she had to cover it herself--plus all her living expenses since there is no way you can work when at vet school--something really has to be done--now my youngest is almost done with Dartmouth (YEAH!!) but wants to go to medical school...oh, boy...

I really feel so bad for the college grads who have been fed all the promises about the job market--and the baby boomers have to put off retiring after the recession so those jobs are not becoming available--it is a mess.

[Star and Goldie]

I can attest to the cost of education discussion as I work in the student loan industry.  The loan balances I see on a daily basis are astonishing.  Sadly, the number of students and graduates calling in expressing financial hardships also continue to rise. My team assists to place these borrowers into deferments and lower repayment options but essentially that only acts as a band-aid and does not fix the real problem and does not help them to find stable work. It becomes a vicious cycle.

It can be very discouraging. Although it is rewarding to help someone temporarily, it is sad to think about the severity of their circumstance. I work solely in customer service now but spent 6 years in default prevention so I've seen the other side of what happens when their balance grows but their income doesn't and they run out of options.